Babies, brothers and growing hearts
by Sisse91
Summary: James is about to be a big brother again, and is quite a bit confused. Luckily Teddy's there to guide him. Long family one shot.


"But Daddy, I don't want a baby brother or sister. I already have one, and he's so boring and annoying." James said pouting.

"I know you don't James, but it's really not up to you. Mummy and Daddy's really looking forward to getting another baby. And you know, when Albus gets a little older he'll be much more fun to play with. And until then you'll have Teddy right."

"But Dad, I've already been waiting very very very much for Albus to be bigger, and he's just still so small. He's always crying or flipping through boring baby books. And Teddy's never here, he's always at Dromda's house."

"Andromeda, dear. And Teddy's sleeping over almost every weekend, plus every Wednesday." Harry said, laughing a little at his oldest son.

James jumped of his daddy's lap and left the living room, running up the stairs to his room. He slammed the door, with as much power as a 3 year old holds. He crossed the floor and crawled up the ladder to his little hide out under the ceiling. Throwing himself in the mass of pillows with snitches, bludgers and -… on it, he stared at the ceiling. He was very angry. So very angry with his dad for laughing at him. He never understood anything, never ever. He was just a stupid old dad.

He didn't want another baby in the house. One was more than enough. And Teddy was never around. He was always at his grandmother's house. And James was always here alone, there where never anybody to play with.

James spent an hour in his room being angry at the world, before he was called down for dinner. He dragged himself downstairs placing himself in his usual chair picking at his dinner. He didn't answer when asked what was wrong, and as soon as he was allowed he jumped out of his chair running back to his room.

"It's like having a teenager in the house. He's gonna be handful when he gets older. What's wrong with him any way?" Ginny asked trying to get up, her belly very much in the way.

"Just sit down honey, I'll do the cleaning." Harry said, bending over kissing his wife on her forehead, before starting to carry the dishes to the sink. "I told him about our baby surprise earlier. Figured he needed some time to get ready. He didn't take it very well. I guess that's an understatement, he ran to his room and slammed the door."

"Oh, I thought I heard a noise when I was trying to nap earlier. Not that I got any sleep, this one is going to be a beater for sure, keeps hitting me."

"She's just like her mother." Harry laughed.

"You keep insisting it's a girl, it could be a boy you know."

"Yeah it could be. But it's not! I'm gonna get Albus ready for bed, and then tuck in James, meet me upstairs alright. Need any help getting up?"

"Harry James Potter, I'm pregnant you know, not an infant."

"If you say so honey" Harry said, wisely leaving the kitchen with Albus on his hips.

He quickly bathed him and put him in his pyjamas, while chatting about anything. He put him in his crib, singing a lullaby and then went to James' room. He knocked on the door before going in. The light was out and he could see a lump on the bed. He went to the bedside carefully sitting down.

"James, little man, I know you're mad at us." He started, smoothing out the bedspread whilst talking. "I'm sorry you feel this way, but the baby is going to come soon, and I'm sure you're going to love it, as soon as it's here." He picked up the stuffed dog from the floor placing it besides the lump that was his son. "You know we love you more than anything in this whole world. And that's not going to change when the baby comes, just like we didn't stop loving Teddy when you got here, and like we didn't stop loving the two of you when Albus arrived." He got up straightening his pants looking down on the bed. "Sleep tight little guy. I love you."

He walked out the door closing it behind him. He let out a little sigh before joining his wife in their bedroom. 

"So, how'd it go?"

He started undressing. "I don't know. He didn't talk. It really bugs him. Should we have told him earlier? To give him a little more time to get used to the idea? I knew this was too early; we should've waited a couple of years before getting one more. Or just have stopped with Albus. Two children are more than fine, it's more than some people get."

"Harry, relax! Just give him some time to get used to the idea. Remember when we told Teddy we were expecting James? He wouldn't talk to us for days. Besides this baby was just ready for the world, we didn't really have a choice."

"Yeah I guess." Harry said, still not convinced. He turned out the light, lying down in bed snuggling up against his wife. He kissed her, with as much passion as he had on their wedding day, before falling asleep a hand on her expanding belly.

Down the hall in another dark bedroom, James was still awake. He was starring into the darkness of the night, not really understanding the feelings running through his young body. It would be a couple of hours before he finally fell asleep, very unhappy.

Around a week later, James was grudgingly getting ready for Sunday dinner at the burrow. He was still mad at his parents, and had kept very much to himself, mainly playing in his room. Teddy and his grand mum were visiting some of his granddads relatives and he hadn't been around this week. This had only added to James' feeling of loneliness and betrayal, and he really wasn't in the mood for dinner.

When they gathered by the fireplace half an hour later James unwillingly let his dad pick him up, so they could floo to the Burrow.

"Cheer up James. Fred will be there too and you can all play in the garden." His dad said.

"I don't want to play. Can we just go?"

His dad shot his mum a look before picking up some floopowder throwing it in the fire. He stepped in and a moment later they stepped out into the living room of the Burrow. His dad brushed the ash of his clothes before putting him down. He strode out the back door, going right past his grand mum who was waiting for her usual hug. He ran down the garden path, right past Fred who yelled to get his attention. At the end of the garden he sat down, back against a tree.

Sitting there, he missed the arrival of Teddy, who had convinced his grand mum to go home a day earlier, so that they could attend the Sunday dinner. They arrived by floo and where greeted by the entire Weasley family. Teddy said his hallo to his godfather before running to Ginny, placing a hand carefully on her belly. Harry laughed at this, saying hello to Andromeda.

"Hello Andromeda. I'm so happy you made it. I've missed the little guy."

"Hello sweet boy. I didn't really have much of a choice; he's been talking about this new baby the whole time. He's really excited about it."

"I'm glad. We just told James a week ago, and he's been having a hard time. Haven't really spoken to us."

"I'm sorry my boy, but give him some time, he'll come around." Their conversation was cut of by Mrs. Weasley coming around to great Andromeda happily. Neither of them noticed the bright blue haired boy slip out the door.

He walked down the path saying hello to the mass of mostly redhaired children, declining their offer to join the game. He was looking for James. He had overheard Harry speaking to his gran, and he wanted to talk to him. He spotted the jet black hair in the back of the garden, barely visible over the overgrown grass. He walked towards the tree, feeling a pang of protectiveness when he saw the little face filled with hurt and confusion.

"Hey there big guy" he said, lounging himself in the grass beside James.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Why are you here? You where not suppose to be here. Dad said you wouldn't be here!" James said sounding mad.

"We got home early. I heard, about the baby you know"

"The stupid baby you mean."

"Listen, I'm wanna tell you a story. There once was this little boy, he had just turned 7, when his godfather told him, that he was going to have a baby. The boy got so sad. He was afraid that when this baby arrived, his godfathers own baby, his real child, he would be forgotten. That his godfather would stop loving him. He got so sad. He wouldn't talk to anybody about it. Kept it to him self, not wanting to visit his godfather anymore. But then one day, the little boys grandmother came to him and told him that they needed to go to the hospital. The baby had arrived. He tried to convince her to just stay home, but she kept her ground. They had to go." He shifted a little, making himself more comfortable.

"So they went to the hospital. And there where all these adults, fussing in the waiting area, and he just thought it was stupid. But then his godfather come out and picked him up, even though he was way to big to be carried around. He gave him a kiss on the cheek, and carried him too a hospital room. In the room was his godfather's wife, looking very tired sitting in a bed filled with pillows. Beside the bed was a crib. His godfather walked to the crib and sat him down, allowing him to have a look at the baby. And in the crib was this tiny little baby, with a head full of jet black hair. And suddenly he felt this strange feeling running through his body, and he carefully put his hand in the crib to touch the baby's tiny little fingers. The baby grabbed his finger, and from that moment, the boy knew that he would do anything in the whole wide world to protect this little guy. Cause something so little couldn't possibly ever do anything to deliberately hurt him. And he didn't want anything bad happening to him." He looked down at James who was starring at him.

"And you know what?"

"What?"

"That little baby was you. And the boy was me."

"Really?" 

"Yeah! And Harry has never changed, neither has Ginny, or grand mum Weasley or any of the others, cause when a baby arrives, it doesn't take love from anybody. It gives love to everybody. It makes your heart grow. I know it's a little hard to understand. But you'll see. I promise, nothing will change!"

"You promise? Really?"

"Yeah!"

And with that, James flung himself to Teddy clutching him tight crying all of the tears that he had build up the past week. And Teddy just sat there rubbing his back soothingly, cause he knew, how the little boy felt, and he was so sad that he hadn't been there for him.

Harry, who had accidentally overheard the conversation, stepped out.

"Guy's we got to go inside now, food's ready"

James rose and ran to his dad, jumping into his arms.

"I'm so sorry dad." He cried.

"Oh no Jamesy. Don't be sorry. _I__'__m_sorry I didn't explain it better." He kissed the little guys forehead, shifting his weight to his left arm. With his right arm he pulled Teddy in to a hug.

"Thanks."

Three weeks later James woke up in his bed. He got out of bed, grabbing his stuffed dog, clutching it under his arm. He walked out the door and down the hall to his parents bedroom. Looking in he saw that the bed was empty. He frowned a little. Usually when he woke up this early he would go to their room nestling in between his parents. They were always asleep. He went for the stairs, walking down them going for the kitchen. He heard some noise from the kitchen, and walked in, stopping as soon as he walked through the door.

"Oh morning James. Sleep tight?"

"Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron why are you here?"

"Well, your mum and dad went to the hospital last night after you went to bed, so we are here to watch you and your brother."

"Is the baby coming?" he asked feeling the excitement running through him.

"Yeah it is. So why don't we get you some breakfast. When you're finished we can go to the hospital and see how it's coming along."

An hour later he was fed and dressed and waiting for his Uncle to get ready. Hermione would be staying behind watching Al who was to small to go to a hospital. They flooed over, arriving in the waiting area. They where greeted by grandmum and granddad Weasley.

"So has anything happened yet?" Ron asked.

"Any time now" was all the answer he got.

"Is the baby not ready yet?" James asked looking at his gran.

"It's almost here dear."

James walked to his gran getting a hug settling him self into her lap. He had only just nestled in when the white double doors flung open to reveal his dad, a great smile on his face.

"Harry, so how did it go? What is it" Ron asked nervously.

"Everything is fine. The baby is perfect, and Ginny has been so great!" He smiled back.

"So, what is it?" Ron asked again.

"I'm sorry, can't tell you that before my big guy sees it. He's first priority, being the big brother and all" He smiled at James walking over to pick him up.

"Ready big guy?"

"Uh huh!"

They walked into a hospital room where his mum was sitting in a bed, a great smile on her face.

"Hey there big brother. Ready to see the baby?"

"Uh huh"

He walked to the crib beside the hospital bed, and looking down he saw a puff of red hair in a sky of pink blankets.

"A girl?"

"Yeah James, it's a girl. You got a baby sister".

James carefully put a hand in the crib caressing the little baby's cheeks. He felt a rush in his stomach.

"A sister. I really got a sister?"

"Yeah. You wanna hold her?" his dad asked smiling at him. He nodded and placed himself in a chair besides the crib. He got comfortable in the chair, his chubby toddler like legs unable to reach the floor. His dad walked over with the tiny baby girl placing her in his arms. James very carefully held on to her, looking in awe at her.

"Her name is Lily."

He smiled at her as she yawned, and suddenly he understood the story Teddy had told yesterday, much better. And he knew that this little baby was perfect.

"Little Lils."


End file.
